Russia will lift food ban when national security no longer a threat

Russia’s food embargo, imposed in response to Western sanctions, will not be reversed until Moscow decides the country’s national security is no longer at risk, said Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich.

“When [Russia] sees that there is no threat to its national
security anymore, because in line with the presidential decree,
the economic measures were imposed in order to protect national
security,” the embargo would be lifted Arkady Dvorkovich
told RIA Novosti on Tuesday.

Russia introduced a ban on imported agricultural
products from the US, EU, Norway, Canada, and Australia on August
7. The ban, which is due to last a year, applies to meat, pork,
fish, fruits, vegetables and dairy products.

“I’m not ready to name preconditions for cancelling the
measures that we have imposed, but, naturally, we will see what
our partners do,” Dvorkovich said.

The deputy prime minister said that Russia needed to respond to
the West’s sanctions which target key sectors of the Russian
economy; finance, energy, and the defense industry.

The US and its allies began imposing sanctions against Russia in
March over its perceived role in the Ukraine crisis.

“A significant number of states have imposed serious
sanctions against us in a coordinated manner. Undoubtedly, this
was a threat. We had to take measures to make them act in a more
considerate way,” the top official said.

The Russian government has added exceptions which included items such as
proteins and dietary supplements that domestic production cannot
easily replace.